Safe Jobs Collaborative

A lack of alternative employment opportunities is one of the most serious barriers for people seeking freedom from a trafficker.

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Watch this short video to understand why safe, living wage jobs are essential for individuals who have escaped from a trafficker.

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"But I can tell you that running was not the hard part. The hard part was choosing poverty. The hard part was starting over at age 26, with an 8 yr old girl, being homeless. The hard part was having a criminal record, a huge gap in job history, and more trauma than any person should live with. The hard part was 'What now?'"

-Rebecca Bender, Founder & CEO,                           The Rebecca Bender Initiative

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Our approach

• Increase the number of businesses willing to hire survivors and persons at risk of trafficking.
  
• Connect survivors and at-risk individuals with existing job training programs and potential employers.
• Collaborate with local service organizations that provide direct services to survivors or at-risk individuals.​
• Provide ongoing support to businesses and the employees they hired as a result of this program.​
  

To learn more, read our Safe Jobs Collaborative Program Overview.

BEST is currently piloting a project in King County, WA to increase job training and employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking or persons at risk of trafficking.

Project goals

• ​Create a database of existing job training programs and employers willing to participate in the program
• Provide training and resources for employers who have committed to participating in the program
• Create an online tool for the use of advocates and case managers throughout King County to match the needs of a survivor or at-risk individual with the opporunity that best fits their life goals

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Benefits of becoming a Safe Jobs partner organization

Safe Jobs Partners

• Discover a new pool of applicants for unmet employment needs
• Increase workplace diversity
• Potentially receive Work Opportunity Tax Credit (https://www.doleta.gov/business/incentives/opptax)
• Enhance employee engagement
• Receive public recognition from BEST
• Demonstrate your brand's commitment to the community

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Resources

• "Billion Dollar Bets" to Establish Pathways to Careers
• ​A Real-World approach to Connecting Low-income Workers with IT Jobs
• ​Opportunity Youth Business Case from Grads for Life
• Some Companies Go Nontraditional to Find the Right Fit
• ​Increase Productivity and Retention of Entry Level Employees
• Taking 'Hire Character, Train Skill' From Theory to Practice
  
• ​Building Opportunity
• ​AT&T's Diverse Mentoring Relationships Accelerate Employee Engagement
• Why Companies Should Invest More in the Retention of Entry-Level Employees

“The contemporary labor market in the United States is failing job seekers, particularly low-income and minority individuals and families...Even for the ‘good’ jobs that do exist, low-income and minority candidates face tough odds, given failing public education systems, limited social networks that link candidates to work-based learning opportunities, and cultural and racial biases that exclude them for not fitting in with the companies’ cultures.”     
​                                                            -The Bridgespan Group, "Billion Dollar Bets"                                                                                           to Establish Pathways to Careers